Rolling-towel service



Sept. 7,-1926. v 1,598,921

G. R. MARSHALL ET AL ROLLING TOWEL SERVICE Filed April 2 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 fin/anion; 1?. 7??

JAE 72068,

Sept. 7 1926.

G. R. MARSHALL ET AL ROLLING TOWEL SERVICE Filed April 24, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet JFW e/Jfars 77M ace, 5) 5 /0 r n e y Sept. 7 1926.

G. R. MARSHALL ET AL ROLLING TOWEL SERVI CE Filed April 92 .3 sheets sheet HI hm, f ,Jlllmlln.

"" HIHHF ""HHHI IIH Patented Se t. 7,1926.

* UNITED STATES PATENT IJOFFICE.

GORDON BOSS MARSHALL, OF HALIFAX, NOVA SCO TIA, AND JOHN ADAMS BRUCE, OF

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

Ronnie-rower. snnvrcn 1 Application filed April 24, 1824. SeriaINo. 7083395.

The invention relates to a rolling towel service as described in the presentspecification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention consists essentially of the novel combination of elements to accomplish the purposes of the invention and the means employed for their operation, all of which is pointed out broadly and specifically in the claims for novelty following a description containing an explanation in detail of an acceptable manner of carrying out the service.

The objects of the invent-ion are to maintain good sanitary conditions in all kinds of places where towels are used promiscuously; to avoid loss of towels in public buildings and commercial and education establishments; to furnish each person with an immaculate linen towel; to afford a reliable service for factories, oflices, universities, schools, stores, railways, steamships and public eating places, whereby there is no waste and no loss; to maintain the service no matter how great the number of persons, by having a continuous supply of towels always at hand; to economize in the equipment of various institutions, factories and business corporations, and generally to provide an efficient service.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a perspective view of a towel service cabinet as it appears. in regular use.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same, showing the compartment door open.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the same showing hinged top in its open position andoperating mechanism.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 44 in Figure 1. a

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view on the line 55 in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a plan view of rolls and operating mechanism employed in feeding the .towel and reclaiming it.

Figure 7 is an'elevation of one end of the roll mechanism.

Figure 8 is an elevation of the other end of the roll mechanism.

Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of the rolls on the line 9- 9 in Figure 6.

Figure 10 is an extended view of the chain of toweling as it would a pear taken out of its folds and showing tlie possibilities in addin links to the chain only limited by the size 0 the enclosure.

Figure 11 is 'a detail view of one form of fastener for joining the links of toweling.

F gure 12 is a detail of,the ratchet clutch.

Figure 13 is an enlarged plan view of the fastening.

Figure 14 is a sectional view on the line 14l4 in Figure 13.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

The service is carried out with a chain of towels and rolls drawing on the chain and other rolls reclaiming the used portion of the chain.

The toweling is here shown in a chain 1 formed of many lengths 2 joined at their hemmed ends 3 and 6 by the fasteners 7, the latter being of any suitable form and here shown as wire loops open at one side and having an outwardly bent end 8 for greater convenience in inserting the wire through holes in the hemmed ends 3 and 6. In this connection it may be mentioned that it is desirable tohave a fastener for the towel links of thechain that will facilitate quick action and usually it will be of a loop pattern applied about midway of the width of the toweling, though there are so many ways of joining one link to another that it is difficult to he specific in the matter, however one operable means is shown and described in order to give a clear understanding of the invention.

This chain of toweling may be extended for any'reasonable length and is preferably contained in a cabinet 10 in which the interior is divided into compartments reached by a door 11 in the front wall 12, the latter having the transverse feed slot 13 and reclaiming slot 14 for the passage of the chain of toweling, these slots being situated near to the upper end of the cabinet.

The lower compartment 15 is used for the chain of toweling l'placed therein in neat folds and the upper compartment 16 is used for the used toweling coming in through the ment 15, the said wall 19 terminatingatits upper end in the curled towel guide 22 which is about opposite the feed slot 13, thus a through passage for the toweling is assured from the lowermost portion of the cabinet to the upper end, which is very important in 1 laundering purposes, also the lower end of the bar can be used if desired to hold the extreme end of the toweling chain between lower end of thebar and the shelf 18, thereby avoiding a full discharge of the toweling in the event of an interruption of the service,

of course it is obvious that many other kinds of chain anchoring means may be devised and used.

The transverse plate 24 projects outwardly from the lower edge of the feed slot 13 and this holds the loop 25 of thechain 1 in the proper position, that is to say, the clean portion 26 just fed out hangs clear of the used portion 27 being reclaimed through the slot 14.

The door 11 is furnished with a lock 28 and when closed the toweling is aired through the ventilating opening 29 here shown in said door 11, thus preventing mustiness occurring from the dampness of the used toweling.

The cabinet 1 is supported on the feed 30 and the hinged top 17 is secured by a suitable inside pivotal fastening 31 while the door 11 is open.

The feed and, reclaiming mechanism is mounted in a frame 32 and may be placed in any suitable structure though here shown in the cabinet 1.

This frame is formed of top and bottom bars 33 and 34 respectively rigidly secured to side bearing bars 35 and 36, said top and bottom bars being inwardly turned at the ends beyond the side bars to form the flanges 37 and 38 and 39 and 40 for securing the frame to the side walls of the cabinet and distance it therefrom.

The feed rolls 41 and 42 are preferably covered with rubber and mounted ,on the shafts 43 and 44 respectively journalled in the side bars 35 and 36 and the reclaiming rolls 45 and 46 are also preferably covered with rubber and mounted on the shafts 47 and 48 respectively journalled in the side bars 35 and 36. The springs 49 engage slidable bearing blocks in the sides of the frame and are adjusted by screws 49 and hold theroll 41 to the roll 42 and the springs 50 hold the roll 46 to the roll 45 by means of slidable bearing blocks adjusted by the screws 50 and the gear-wheels 51 and 52 are mounted on the shafts 44 and 47 respectively to being anchored to the lower end of -the frame by the spiral spring 60.

The pinion 56 is operatively connected,

with the gear 53 through the ratchets 61 and 62 fixed to said pinion and gear respectively enabling the handle 58 to return to its upper position without reversing the rotation of the rolls 42 and 45. i

The gear lock to stop the towel from being pulled out is formed of a pivotal bar 63 secured in the sides 35 and 36 adjacent to the roll 42 and slightly below the path of the toweling and supported by the spring 64 from the upper end of the frame as well as operating with the link 65. The dog 66 is secured to this link or the bar 63 and curves inwardly to its toothed end 67, which is normally in proximity to thelocking gear wheel 68 on the shaft of the roll 42 beyond the side 35, consequently if pressure is brought to bear on the bar 63 by an outward pull on the towelingthe dog 66 is brought into engagement with the gear 68 and this (fe ffedctually locks all the rolls and stops the The stoppage of the toweling caused by a pull from the used or reclaimed part is effected by a rigid bar 69 set at an angle corresponding to the angle of rotation of the roll 45 and secured to the side bars 35 and 36. This bar 69 avoids a direct pull between the rolls 45 and 46, and guides the toweling like a belt having the tendency to rotate the roll 45 in a reverse direction and as it cannot do that the mechanism is locked and the used toweling securely held within the cabinet.

The toweling guides 70 and 71 are secured to the bottom of the frame 32 at each side and project upwardly and the toweling guides 72 and 73 project downwardly from the top of the frame on the feed end.

In the operation of this invention, the first link of toweling in the chain is passed up the rear passage in the cabinet and over the curled top of the rear wall of the upper chamber. It is then passed between the feed rolls over the edge of the automatic locking bar and through the feed slot down to the reclaiming slot. The end of the length is then inserted between the reclaiming rolls over the fixed bar 69 adjacent to the roll 45 and as used from the chain the toweling piles up on the bottom of the upper chamber.

the handle of the operating lever is pulled downwardly and this rotates the middle gear and consequently the rolls, and as the toweling is held tightly between the rolls therequi'red length of toweling will be drawn out and a. corresponding length drawn in and reclaimed, always maintaining the same loop of toweling for wiping purposes hanging from the feed slot at the one end and the reclaiming slot at the other end of the exposed part of the toweling. The lever returns to operating position and because of the ratchet form of clutch the return movement does not affect the rolls at all, thus leaving thetowel ready for the person at the moment or the next one in turn.

To pull the towel will be of no avail as the spring locking is then operated by the weight of the pull and this brings the dog into action and locks one of the driven rolls at its opposite end.

The used toweling is removed from the shelf on which it is supported and the last full length therein released from the length in use by removing the fastener.

The used toweling is kept in its place on the shelf provided therefor by the vertical bar pivoted at the lower end of the front wall and this may readily be moved to one side in clearing the shelf.

It may be mentioned that the chain of toweling is an essential element in operating all this mechanism and while an unbroken length of toweling would still operate with the parts the service would not be carried in the same manner and it is essential that mechanism of the kind described be employed to successfully carry out the chain system of toweling; for the difliculty of operating without interruption is of great importance to the service and for that reason the details of the roll mechanism are salient features as well as the chain of toweling.

The mechanism for feeding the towel to der fold discloses the hem thereb facilitating the attachment of new len s to those in the receptacle, said receptac e being supplied with .as many folded lengths as it will conveniently hold.

The mechanism for feeding the towel to the exposed loop is incidential to the operation of the chain of towels as there are other mechanisms including feed rollers and reclaiming rollers but in this mechanism there are some specific features very important to a public towel service, which are mostly concerned in the operation of the chain service as the toweling is drawn up from the folded lengths in the lower clean towel chamber "to the feed rolls over the curled guide and recovered into the used towel chamber as explained; each length following the other uninterruptedly without cessation so long as links are added thus making the service continuous and if these links were added from other sources and continuously supplied through openings provided in an enclosure there need never be a finish to the chain reaching said enclosure.

7 The locking bar 63 is arranged above the feed slot so that any outward pull on the toweling will press on said bar and positively insure operation'and further the supporting link for said bar will actually bring the upper roll down with it so that the toweling is tightly pinched in betweeen the feed rolls and. the gearing locked also but by bringing the rolls so close together considerable strain on said gearing is avoided.

The bar 69 is also above the reclaiming slot as well as above the lower roll and this guides the towel, so that when pulling outwardly it is practically a brake on the up per reclaiming rol-l.

What we claim is In a rolling towel service, a cabinet hav- 1 ing permanent back and side walls and upper front wall the latter having towel feed and reclaimed slots and a transverse plate projecting outwardly from the lower edge of said feed slot, and a hinged door forming a closure for the lower portion of said front wall, and an inner wall and shelf within said cabinet forming a dirty towel receptacle and a guard bar pivotally secured to the front wall above the door opening and extending downwardly to said shelf, a clean towel receptacle below said shelf, and means for pulling the clean towel from said clean towel receptacle up between the back and inner walls of the cabinet and through a recess in the latter to said towel control mechanism .at the top and out and in through said feed and reclaimed slots of the permanent front wall above said hinged door into said dirt towel receptacle.

Signed at alifax, N. S. this 31st day of March 1924..

GORDON ROSS MARSHALL. JOHN ADAMS BRUCE. 

